Film Review: The Hammer

02/19/2011 12:13PM
● Published by Wendy Sipple

Late Night talk show host Adam Corolla went out and produced, starred, and helped write an indie movie and the results are very good -- The Hammer is a very funny underdog boxing movie. Although it really doesn’t break new ground in the genre, it is very effective at getting laughs and making the audience care.

The movie centers around Jerry Ferro (Adam Corolla) who is a 40-year-old former amateur boxer turned construction worker. While working out at a gym, Jerry is discovered by an Olympic Trainer who invites him to train for a spot on the Olympic team. Jerry, of course, accepts and starts a comeback in the boxing ranks fighting guys half his age.

The movie has a very charming quality to it thanks in large part to Corolla’s performance. He captures the “everyday” guy quality perfectly and is surprisingly convincing in his scenes as a boxer. The supporting cast is equally effective as well. There are numerous good laughs spread throughout the film. The Hammer avoids the use of slapstick comedy for the most part and earns more honest laughs. The writing is solid, and I liked that the story never seemed to over reach for jokes or seem to have “over-the-top” scenes that just didn’t fit.

It’s a shame that quality small films like this are not given more public exposure as I can honestly say The Hammer far exceeds most Hollywood productions in enjoyment factor. It’s more than a “guy’s” film as well (my wife admitted to being skeptical at first, then enjoying it quite a bit).

Although the film carries an “R” rating there is nothing within the film to warrant the rating. It is said that the MPAA gave the film an “R” because the “F” word happens twice in the film. After watching the film I did not remember any swearing in the movie, there is no nudity, and for a boxing movie there is not a lot of violence either. So despite the “R” rating I would say the film is perfectly suitable for a teenage audience. I highly recommend seeing The Hammer, you won’t be disappointed.

FILMS LIKE THE HAMMER : Cool Runnings, Major League and The Cutting Edge

Justin Buettner is Style's resident movie dude! How did he get this role? Well, he graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Arts in film Production and a duel minor in Animation and Business with an emphasis in the entertainment field. He later went on to work on several independent films in various key roles including writer and later worked in the special effects field as a motion capture artist. He has since relocated to the Sacramento area with his family and continues writing for small independent films in addition to his movie reviews for Style Magazine.